This is my third trip with B1.
They somehow find a way to find you the most incredible subjects to photograph.
Having skilled guides who use all their resources (to include Radio, digital, and just knowledge of the area) and understand animal behavior about as good as anybody, gives you the best chance of having a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
They just go out of their way to ensure your experience is perfect.
Just having coming back yesterday, I am still in amazement at what we saw; i just didn't expect it.
I’m not sure there is any way that I can do justice via a review to the amazing experience we had on our recent photographic safari with B1 Photo Safaris. This was our second trip to Kruger with B1, the first a 4-day photo safari in 2018, and the second a week+ in September and October 2021.
I’m an avid wildlife photographer and visiting Kruger had long been on my bucket list. When I first planned our trip to Kruger in 2018, I had intended to do a self-drive. But the more research I did, the more I realized that I would have a very difficult time taking the photographs that I wanted from the driver’s seat of a rental car, especially as I’m more used to being able to set up a tripod on the side of the road in parks like Yellowstone. I began doing research and discovered B1 Photo Safaris, I contacted the company’s owners, Bernhard and Hennie Becker, and they worked with me to adapt the itinerary and rest camp stops I’d already planned into a photo safari using their vehicle. When the time for the trip finally came, it didn’t take long to realize that while the vehicle was a tremendous help (you get the entire open vehicle to yourself and they have extremely useful gimbal mounts strong enough to reliably hold my 500mm f/4) the true benefit of using the company was Bernhard and Hennie’s knowledge. Their ability to spot wildlife and then use their knowledge of the animals’ behavior to better position me for photographs was incredible. And they significantly improved my chances of getting good photographs. Moreover, they were an absolute delight as company, and I stayed in touch with them long after returning to the United States.
This time, I planned my entire Kruger trip around B1 Photo Safaris. I originally planned the trip for 2020, but obviously we had to shift things around due to Covid. We reset the trip for 2021, and I let Bernhard set the itinerary however he wanted, as he’d earned my unquestioning trust after how well the previous trip had gone. In addition to my wife, my mom also joined us on the trip. She’d taken me to Yellowstone repeatedly growing up and had encouraged me to follow my love of photography as an adult; taking her to Kruger was something I really wanted to do. For a year, my mom had to hear my wife and I tell her how much we were looking forward to seeing Bernhard and Hennie again.
Bernhard and Hennie met us in Skukuza and our trip immediately got started. They remembered everything we’d seen on the previous trip, and made plans to help us find the one elusive animal we’d missed the first time (a cheetah). Over the next week, we saw more animals than we’d ever thought we would. We trusted Bernhard and Hennie, and rather than stay in the more popular southern part of the park, we spent the majority of the time in the Shingwedzi area. Wow did it pay off. We saw more lions than we could count. We had amazing leopard encounters, a couple where we were the only vehicle there and another where we had the best position possible because Bernhard and Hennie perfectly predicted the leopard’s path from one spot to another several hundred meters away 20 minutes before it even happened so that they were able to get me in the PERFECT position for the photo. We even got to see our cheetah, watching it chase an impala at full speed not 20 feet from our vehicle.
For the photographers who’d consider using B1, you cannot go wrong by hiring them to guide your safari. They will do everything possible to make sure your experience is incredible. They will put you in the best position you can be in order to capture the photos that you’ve traveled to South Africa to get. They both are talented photographers, so they will help arrange the trip, itinerary, destinations, and even the position of the vehicle to best suit your style and photography goals. Thanks to Bernhard and Hennie, you will be able to concentrate on your photos and let them capably deal with all the rest.
In case you’re considering traveling with non-photographers too, my wife and mom can attest that they will still have an amazing time. Part of what makes B1 so great is that it is truly a pleasure to spend time with Bernhard and Hennie – and that’s a good thing considering you’ll likely be with them for the better part of 12 hours a day. One of the things they excel at is getting guests to appreciate the small things, whether that be pointing out and watching birds that I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed, pointing out and explaining animal behavior we otherwise wouldn’t have noticed, or even taking you to some less traveled but absolutely incredible vistas where you get to experience a bit of Kruger all to yourself. My mom, who only had a point-and-shoot, and my wife, who mainly just used her iPhone, had a blast.
The only thing I disliked about our trip was that it had to end. But, I have a feeling it won’t be our last trip with B1 Photo Safaris (we’re already talking about going back). I promise you that you’ll feel the same way once you experience a trip with them yourself.
TinaWorldTraveler
13 Jun 2021
An amazing experience with the Bekker Brothers! My husband and I were well cared for with pick up from Skukuzu airport, and accommodations arranged so we could explore as far north as Shingwedzi, and down to Lower Sabie. I had been following B1 over many years and chose them to help us learn some photography skills while experiencing all Kruger NP had to offer. We were blown away by their patience, knowledge, and spotting skills. Their great personalities made this so much fun; what a bonus to have guides that can share their love of Kruger! We felt the value over attempting this as a self drive, on our own, exceeded our expectations. I’m sure we saw 50x more than we would have solo, and really appreciated learning about animal behavior and the many bush environs rather than just checking off a Big Five list. The vehicle equipped with gimbals & bean bags made us look like pros.So many special sightings; Cheetah at sunrise, huge elephant herds crossing the rivers, lions mating, 60+ different birds, wild dogs at last light of day. Highly recommend this trip of a lifetime!